The hammremir
by Simbawriter82
Summary: Where do the werewolves of TVD come from? What is their culture? What are their legends? Follow me into the body and soul of these werewolves, or as they once called themselves in ages past: the hammremir.
1. Introduction

Hammremir (sing. Hammramr): from the Old Norse word hamrammr; a person shifting shape to gain additional strength. A now mostly forgotten name used by a type of werewolf that only transforms once per month when the moon was full.

Did you ever wonder what there is about the werewolves from the Vampire Diaries Universe? Where do they come from, what is their culture, do they have one? What are they capable off, what sets them apart from humans?

In this compendium guide to the Saga starting in First Time for Everything by primavera you will find out. Follow this internet book to the body and soul of the werewolves. Or how they once called themselves: the hammremir.


	2. Physical and spiritual basics

No one has ever exactly measured the speed and strength of the hammremir, so only first person observation is available. This allows for some guessing. In addition, there is a difference between the physical capabilities and restrictions of the human shape and that of the wolf body.

The Human:  
>A male hammramr of average build can run roughly at the top speed of a domestic horse (so about 70 km per hour or about 44 miles per hour). So seeing them running would still make it possible to recognize a human shape, albeit only if you actually pay attention. Otherwise, their reflexes are so fast that only the most observant people with short reaction times and fast reflexes can see the hammremir's actual movements. For the everyday person, it would barely be more than a blur.<p>

Their strength can also only roughly be measured. An average male hammramr can easily jump about 10-15 feet from standing position, snap necks easily with one hand, and carry an adult human with one arm. It is estimated that their strength is about the same as that of a North American Grizzly, so throwing a human through the air for several feet with one strike would be easily possible.

Their dexterity is not better than that of any human but can be honed through practice. In addition, their increased strength makes body-building harder for them. Due to their increased strength and speed, they, of course, would have to run longer and faster, as well as manage bigger weights (or train longer/faster for muscle definition) to have the same results.

In addition, the hammremir's average body temperature is about 2 degrees higher (meaning 39 centigrade/71 degrees Fahrenheit). So freezing to death is more difficult, but overheating is also more likely, as evidenced by the fact that they sweat more easily than humans in warmer climates.  
>There is however one feature to their bodies that is usually considered completely beneficial: their regenerative powers. While it is not possible to regenerate lost limbs or organs, hammremir can regenerate skin cells relatively quickly. This allows the werewolves surface injuries (cuts, bruises, and scars) to heal within seconds or minutes, depending on the severity of the injury. This quality even acts as a sort of buffer against the effects of aging.<p>

To some extent that is, the hammramr still ages the way a normal human does. However, the regeneration allows for the fact that they don't feel it so fast, since tissue and bones of course regenerate faster after injury than those of a human of similar age, and, therefore, wear down slower. This effect is also the reason why a hammramr could work out more often than a human since any injuries from such a workout would heal faster. Apart from that the regeneration basically works the same as those of humans do, just much faster, so a hammramr can be burned or shot via several bullets, the only factor is the amount of damage done fast enough. A hammramr can still scar from normal wounds; they usually just don't because the wound is closed so fast.

They can still be simply killed by a single shot if vital parts of the brain are damaged (in other cases they might survive brain damage that would kill a human if the brainstem or upper spinal cord are not completely destroyed) and it is not possible to regrow more than a fraction of the brain. Losing the brainstem or more than one-tenth of the rest of the brain is not a recoverable state. As a final note, if a piece of the brain is lost and regrown, the werewolf may be forced to relearn certain things — possibly including skills, the ability to speak at all, etc. - and may or may not lose memories, depending on what section of the brain was lost.

With all their physical benefits, there comes a price: metabolism. Of course, as with humans, metabolic rates can differ from person to person but usually stay stable until you reach a certain age. On average, hammremir need to eat more and more frequently than humans do, amounting to about four meals a day or a normal complement of food supplemented by some substantial snacks. Just like humans they are still omnivores albeit they might lean more towards diets heavy with protein and fat, but of course, in theory, they could be vegetarians as well.

When the warrior is injured, his regeneration rate begins to move more quickly and the needed energy ends up being drawn from the warrior's inner reserves, and therefore needs to be replaced. Minor damage (cuts, scratches, bruises) doesn't measurably increase a warrior's appetite, unless it happens often enough, or the hammramr is already starved. In addition, substantial blood loss can also significantly slow down healing. Healing serious damage (stab wounds, gun shots, severe burning) over the course of 15 minutes or more is enough to make the werewolf's stomach growl loudly. His metabolism then kicks up a notch to provide the required energy.

A convalescent werewolf needs to consume half as much food as he usually does, since simple energy is not enough to repair the body. Due to this, a werewolf might literally devour huge amounts of meat, eggs or sugar (either pure or mixed with water) to regain the energy he had lost during healing. There is a, thankfully very rare but also very pervasive, myth among the human warriors. According to this superstition, a werewolf will never feel sated after recovering from severe injuries, unless he has consumed the appropriate part of an enemy's body. This myth has no basis in an actual need but has its roots with some depraved individuals, and is most often believed by werewolves with the appropriate psychological disorders.

One aspect of wolf lore that is not a myth, is their susceptibility to wolfsbane, which burns their flesh, and, when ingested in diluted, form weakens them dramatically. No one knows why these plants, affect them this way. The olfactory and acoustic capabilities of the hammremir are far above the level of a human, but whether they are on the same level as those of their canine counterparts is not known. Again, it has never been measured but a warrior is known to be able to smell arousal, track scents, hear the heartbeat of person standing next to him under normal conditions, and hear a normal conversation about a hundred feet away.

Actually, werewolves' ability to tell when people are lying is not some sort of mystical lie detector, but, rather a skill acquired through experience and usage of their advanced ability to hear the human heartbeat. This also allows werewolves to be able to tell whether a person is frightened or aroused, etc. However, this skill is not foolproof. And a good liar, who is capable of controlling his body-reactions, can make a hammramr think that he is telling the truth, because there is no increase in heart-rate, or any other bodily reactions typically associated with lying. Also, in theory, werewolves' exceptional hearing abilities could allow them to hear and recognize background sounds that human's wouldn't even notice. Of course, acoustic overload is more likely for them as well.

Additionally, the werewolf's enhanced olfactory abilities are the reason for their heightened sense of taste. The sense of smell of the hammremir also allows them to identify each other, since werewolf blood carries a smell specific to their kind. Those who are unaware of the species, would typically describe that scent as almost animal-like. In fact, it is a scent that could best be described as a mix of sweat and pine needles, with a hint of human blood.

The Wolf:  
>The abilities and requirements of the human form of the hammremir are already barely known, the wolf-form is a territory where barely even the first steps have been made. What can be said for sure is that the wolf-form is much faster than the human one, due to the wolf-body being better suited for fast running than the human shape. In addition, many claim that their wolves are much stronger than themselves, since they are known to break the chains their human forms were unable to break. However, whether this physical advantage is due to their muscles being proportionally stronger or, simply due to the differences between the canine and the primate shape respectively, the mental drive of the wolf to break free is not known, since the werewolves themselves have at best hazy recollections of these events. Not surprisingly, there have only been a handful of people over the centuries bold or stupid enough to spend a night of the full moon with a werewolf.<p>

Perhaps the wolf-form has better olfactory and acoustic senses, due to its canine physiology. However, there is currently no evidence for this. That the wolf-form is better equipped to deal with harsh climates due to its fur is practically taken for granted, albeit, of course, never tested.  
>In theory, it could have different dietary requirements than the human form. Despite the fact that humans and wolves have similarities in their diets, there are also differences. But usually when in wolf form, the hammremir simply maul everything in sight, without actually eating anything. However, some mentally afflicted werewolves, as sad as this fact is, provide the greater community with evidence for different dietary needs by eating huge masses of food the wolf form obviously could not sufficiently deal with and had to get rid off by vomiting.<p>

One theory is that the wolf-form might be very susceptible to sodium fluoroacetate. While a high enough dosage could kill any species, it takes only a very miniscule amount to kill a canine. Therefore, it is assumed that a werewolf could be easily killed with this while in wolf-form. Whether the wolf-form actually is more susceptible, or the human-form is more resistant against the poison than a base-line human is not known to have ever been tested, since no one is known who had ever dared. Some more paranoid werewolves take this as proof that it is deadly, since they attribute this lack of information to the lack of poisoned survivors.

The Transformation:  
>Usually the werewolf transformation starts around the time the full moon is fully visible over the horizon. Of course, or sadly, the belief that you don't transform when you don't see the moon is a myth as well as the rumor that you die when you see a lunar eclipse. While it is understandable why a werewolf might hope these myths to be the truth, the hard reality usually teaches them better.<p>

Without a doubt, the transformation of the hammremir is by far the only aspect of their condition that nearly everyone of their kind could live without. Sure some revel in the thought of shedding their human skins and trading them for the furred body, and simply regard the painful transformation as the price to pay for the power. But going there and back is the one thing no sane werewolf would want to go through willingly. While the pain of the transformation does lessen over time, as practically every one of them states, and the transformation actually does happen faster as werewolves age, this is only true for the first few years after the curse is enacted. The werewolf's body is adapting to the stress of the transformation during that time, but there are limits to this adaptability. After that time has passed, the body has reached its limits of adjustment and the pain stays the same, as does the time it takes to transform.

During the first year, the transformation is agonizingly slow, sometimes dragging itself along for two hours. After about 6 to 7 years, the length of time the transformation takes will decrease to about 30 minutes. After this, there is no known way to further minimize the time it takes to transform, or make the transformation experience less painful. Narcotics either don't work, or if they work they don't work enough to suppress the pain to any significant degree. Any dosage that theoretically could work is definitely lethal.

This cycle of agony causes many werewolves to worry that the repeated pain of transformation will eventually cause them to lose their humanity and turn into monsters. This fear is not unjustified, since many of their kind over the centuries have made pacts with dark forces to get rid of this pain, albeit without any proof of success.

The Spirit:  
>From a spiritual, or mental, point it is safe to say that the hammremir experiences the full range of human emotions.<br>However, there is a debate on whether "the wolf" inside a hammramr is actually a separate entity or rather a part of oneself that manifested itself, once the curse was enacted. Both sides cite the mental state of the pre-awakened werewolf as well as the one after the transformation as evidence for their theory. No matter what age, gender or culture, every one of the human werewolves is prone to temper tantrums as children and violent outbursts as teens, albeit with individual differences, based on upbringing and personal choice. Neither of these things is particularly rare, of course, and most adults who are unaware of the pre-awakened state probably just assume the child is spoiled or maladjusted. Nonetheless while some learn strategies to cope with their emotional volatility, others end up medicated or institutionalized.

These anger issues also very often lead to the enactment of the curse as it tends to get the pre-awakened warrior into situations that can lead to death in one way or another. In such instances, some argue that these anger issues are a sign of "the wolf" trying to get out, as well as its frustrations at being caged within the pre-awakened body manifest itself as this anger. Others see these issues as evidence that "the wolf" is not a separate entity but an integral part of the human warrior from birth on and the anger issues are an inherited part of the personality.

This brings us to the state of the werewolf, after the transformation. For the advocates of the "separate wolf" theory, the ravaging of the wolf-form is evidence for a separate entity. And any hazy recollections humans may experience of actions they may have committed while in werewolf form are proof of the human soul being caged in that body who can still manage a peek from time to time to the outside world.

Conversely, for the advocates of the "integral wolf" theory, these hazy memories are regarded as evidence that human and wolf are not separate beings. After all, how could two personalities be active at the same time? They argue that the wolf-state is similar to other extreme emotional and mental states, where people act and react on pure instinct and/or emotion; or to cases of people being influenced by drugs or alcohol to the point of blackout, who also have no or no clear recollections of what happened , yet they were still the same beings just influenced by a new factor. For them, the full moon is that new factor that triggers a behavioral change in the warrior.

The emotional changes after the enactment of the curse are connected to the nature of the non-human part of the human warrior. Usually these urges are considered part of the nature of a wolf. However, this is not the truth. No matter whether you see "the wolf" as separate or integral, that newly awakened part of the human werewolf is not the same in all the warriors. Rather, each is as much an individual as the warrior itself, and is not entirely different than the human. In fact, in can be argued whether "the wolf" is really a representation of a wolf's nature, or rather that of a human or a chimpanzee. This is possible, since some of the warriors are extremely violent, while others are (nearly) non-violent in human form. The average warrior is between these two extremes. This, of course, calls to mind the nature versus nurture debate, with respect to the werewolves' human genetics and upbringing.

In any case, at first, these "new" urges and especially the warrior's violent nature are difficult to control, or to manage depending on the perspective. It typically takes a few years for a warrior to become reasonably safe to be around, in situations that result in psychological stress. Even afterwards, it can be difficult not to give into the urge to simply hit every sort of opponent.

Newly turned individuals, especially teenage ones, often have especially strong trouble in dealing with these urges as well as their increased strength, ending up doing inhumanly high jumps during sports, breaking locker doors and door knobs and attacking other people nearby seemingly for no good reason. Especially during these times, their anger rises ,they have difficulty controlling their power, and, as a result, more than one has found himself having unwittingly killed his opponent.  
>In addition the influence of "the wolf" becomes stronger a few days before and after the full moon. Nonetheless, the werewolves' urges are always present, and some warriors go so far as to actually speak to "the wolf" inside of them.<p>

One interesting aspect of werewolf-ism is the notion of imprinting. Werewolves are often hard wired to "imprint" on a certain enemy. They then can pass this encoded image to their descendents, resulting in their wolf-forms attacking this sort of enemy above all others, when given the chance.


	3. Psychological and physical disorders

The hammremir, while not exactly the standard example of humanity, nonetheless share a lot of psychological and physical ailments. Some of those ailments, however, bear their testament to the inhuman traits of the hammremir. Nonetheless, these disorders come very close to those that can be found in humans.

Below are a few examples:

Uberhuman:   
>Uberhumans ascribe to the belief that they are neither a wolf or a monster. Rather, they are the next evolutionary step of humanity. They consider themselves to be the future of the human race. As such superior to every other human not of your own kind.<p>

This delusion is practically designated to breed all sorts of megalomania and contempt for those the werewolf considers to be of "lower" status. Then again, it could just as easily cause indifference or even misguided sympathy for non hammremir.

In a "positive case" this ailment might actually cause the afflicted to behave in a manner of noblesse oblige. A belief that the warrior's higher status demands honorable behavior, because the privilege of being a hammramr comes with responsibility. Of course, what is deemed honorable and responsible is a highly subjective concept.

Blame:   
>Some werewolves suffer from the delusion that it is merely the wolf inside them that is doing all of these horrible things, not the werewolves themselves.<br>This ailment stems from the individual basically blaming everything the afflicted doesn't like about his/her behavior on "the wolf". This "wolf" is seen as a representation of the Beast Within. Through this belief system, the afflicted begin to view their wolf persona as a separate manifestation of all the impulses he or she considers to be lower or negative.

Warriors afflicted with this ailment have a significantly higher chance of developing multiple personalities. As such, it is not uncommon that they start to allow themselves to act out in their wolf form, in a way that is consistent with this belief system. Such warriors might "unwillingly" sate their "feral instincts", believing that they cannot do anything about it.

On the other hand, werewolves that ascribe to this philosophy ten to be the ones that take the most precautions against letting their inhuman side run free during the full moon. These are the ones that always hide behind extra thick metal doors, ingest so much diluted wolfsbane that they are close to dying, and often chasten themselves and see the workings of their "wolf" everywhere in a more or less constant state of paranoia. While they completely demonize their inhuman sides they usually glorify their human sides, stating themselves as pure individuals who got afflicted with a terrible curse.

Perfect hunter:   
>This refers to the belief that the wolf in you is the embodiment of the perfect predator, nature in its purest form.<br>Regarding the attitude to oneself this ailment is the direct opposite of Blame; this other side is seen as the perfect embodiment of the natural or divine order. It is exactly what it is supposed to be without any reservations. Their human sides are seen as imperfect and weak, something to be discarded as fast as possible, or only be used in a 'whatever-it-takes' manner.

All in all, these warriors tend to believe themselves closer to "the wolf", and many think this a good thing, to become or remain "untamed." The "wolf" is always personified in their minds (for some, it becomes a god or another genuinely external presence) and so it's all the easier for the spiraling mind to envision such a thing as lurking at the margins. It's for this reason you can assume that these warriors are practically designated to behave the way they think werewolves do: running in packs and especially mauling everything to death in sight. In this way they are alike to some of the warriors afflicted with Blame. However, unlike them, these warriors do it willingly in every way; they even go so far as not to restrict themselves during the full moon as long as they can keep unwanted attention away from them. As can be expected, this fine line between running free and escaping attention tends to disappear very quickly and not to the warriors' benefit.

Despite their unwillingness to do so, these werewolves confuse their "wolf" with their "human" urges just as quickly as every other warrior does. And so they tend to drift in all sorts of directions, good or bad, since their very philosophy prevents them from restricting themselves from any sort of what they term "wolfish" behavior.

Distorted stomach:  
>This psychological ailment is similar to bulimia nervosa, in that the afflicted performs binge eating, or consumes a large amount of food in a short amount of time, followed by an attempt to rid oneself of the calories consumed. However unlike typical bulimia, the afflicted use their different bodies to induce the vomiting, either by eating so much that a wolf's stomach could no longer contain it, or by consuming substances that would cause a wolf to vomit.<p>

Knots:  
>A regenerative nodule, called a knot, forms when a werewolf body tries to heal an injury, but the rapidly splitting cells near the wound fail to bond to the right place. The cells from around the wound instead, creating a small nodule of flesh that insulates the injury from proper healing. The body fails to recognize that the injury is out of its reach, and continues to trigger healing in the surrounding tissue. The nodule then continues to grow, until regeneration stops or the nodule is removed, at which point the original injury usually heals correctly.<p>

This is similar to human cancer, and inexperienced doctors who encounter them invariably make that diagnosis. The injuries or defects that cause nodules are usually quite small, almost negligible to the werewolf's health; a character may be in otherwise perfect health and still develop this problem. The nodules are hard to detect, until they grow large enough to be serious problems, unless you undergo MRIs or CAT scans.

These nodules are usually only noticed, once they grow large enough to cause many of the same problems cancer does. The knots are removed, by someone willing and able to cut into the victim's body, and forcibly remove the central nodule. Because the human warriors are often spread across significant distances, the victim must often wait until a properly skilled medic can visit. Until then, the victim must suffer pain, permanently lose health or experience other health complications.


	4. Fundamental Culture

What must be understood first is that the hammremir – the name pretty much forgotten these days - no longer refer to themselves as such, but simply as werewolves or warriors (sometimes as human warriors by themselves and others). In fact, the vast majority are not even aware of their Northern European origin. This is the case, despite the fact that much of their specific culture is based to a large degree on that of the Old Norse, and they themselves were the basis for the berserks – elite warriors in the Norse world known for their ravaging battle style. Normally only those studying the origin of their runes are aware of this fact. In addition, the majority of wolves don't call their condition a "curse" but rather "the blood." Therefore, usually a triggering of this condition is called an "awakening of the blood".

The hammremir are also not aware that other forms of humans shapeshifting into canine form exist. And when one of the hammremir refers to a bloodline of werewolf he means the same a human would mean, a specific family or family group.

When it comes to their pre-awakened condition it is clear that the majority welcome the awakening, even if simply for the reason of it adding more warriors to their numbers. However there is a difference between those that awaken by accident and those who actively seek it. Those doing it consciously are – while not overall praised of course – nonetheless granted a portion of honor (although their concept of honor is closer to fame and image) for going through the trouble of awakening. What would be considered appropriate in this case has no overall set rules and there are those that are rather indiscriminate about how they awaken the blood (or whom they kill to do it) as longs as they manage to do it.

On average, a werewolf is expected to target those on the lower levels of human society, since they are at once easier to get to, and are less likely to be missed. After all, who would really cry for some hooker on the street killed in a dark alley, or some local drug dealer being killed by what looks like a client having been unwilling to pay? In such cases of planned killing, a sleeping blood might actually be trained by werewolves more experienced in quick killing.

Those werewolves who have been awakened, more or less by accident are regarded as stumbling into warrior society. About how they will be treated is dependent on the warrior in question, the only thing for sure is that they will definitely start from a lower point of the social ladder than any warrior actively awakening.

Despite this general standpoint on the awakening, there is a possibility for an actively awakening warrior to gain honor while joining the hammremir. Should such an aspiring sleeping blood be capable of actually eliminating a special target, like a local gang leader or someone higher on the criminal ladder, he might very well receive high honors, and immediately climb the social ladder much faster than normal. Of course, it must be in accordance with the laws of the hammremir. Should he be capable of eliminating a target whose death directly benefits the local hammremir, not only will he be honored, but also his entire family for producing such a capable warrior that managed to kill two birds with one stone, sometimes, quite literally.

What should also be noted is that this only regards to males. Females are actually discouraged to activate the blood, if the respective warriors bother to explain it to them that is, and when one of them actually seeks it, she is shunned for it. When it happens by accident, then she is pitied at best and the whole ordeal is seen as the hand of fate.

What might be expected is that the culture of the hammremir is basically devoted to the arts of battle, valuing martial prowess before any other. This devotion to the arts of battle extends to all aspects of a werewolf's life, and the majority of the human warriors think in terms of conflict and battle when faced with an obstacle.

According to their principles, to think of this battle solely in terms of physical destruction is a limited understanding of their culture. Battle for them is more than the destruction of the flesh; it is the destruction of all obstacles, physical, spiritual and mental alike. When a werewolf truly lives in battle, he can bring the full might of his warrior heritage to bear in any conflict.

That doesn't mean a werewolf challenges his mortgage broker to a duel when his loan is denied, but he approaches the problem of money with the mindset of a general faced with inadequate supply lines: who can do without what and still be able to fight tomorrow? Maybe a band (several warriors working together) with a large and lightly contested territory can afford the members to be evicted from their apartments to afford the medical care a pregnant mate needs. In a small or exceptionally dangerous territory, it might be more important to keep the authorities from trying to drive the band out of their one and only safe haven. Can resources be pooled and supplies redistributed to ensure that everyone has at least something? Three band-members working shitty, minimum-wage jobs is safer than having one of the band bringing in the equivalent amount of money on his own.

This combative mindset gives the typical examples of their society a reputation for stubborn hardheadedness among the people they live. To a certain extent, that's true: when you think of negotiations in terms of feints, ripostes and retreats, it's all too easy to see concession as surrender, and that treads perilously close to a violation of the their laws. The ability to see the distinction between "surrender" and "discussion" is what marks the difference between a skilled warrior and a wise leader.

All of this doesn't mean that the werewolves' reputation as brutal, savage warriors is entirely undeserved. The werewolves' ethos does attract those with a penchant for mindless violence. And sometimes newly awakened werewolves aren't screened as diligently as they should be. Sometimes the conditions (or local leadership, for whatever reason) require that standards be relaxed; better to have a subpar line of defense than none at all. Sometimes, a particular newbie's peculiar talent or zeal for the battle is just too good to pass up.

The society of the warriors sometimes tolerates those maladjusted, violent brutes that end up among them, out of necessity or a sense of duty. But those brutes generally find themselves as the lowest in the band, barely more than canon-fodder in conflicts. Ironically, this pushes such brutes to leave their bands behind and seek out a new band, whose members might be more inclined to be impressed by displays of brute force masquerading as leadership, thereby further cementing the stereotype of the warriors. Sometimes such brutes might take on the road as lone wolves or make a band of their own by literally collecting other werewolves or even humans.

One of the fundamental columns of warrior society is secrecy. Due to this, they have developed their own way of knocking at a door by knocking two times loud and clear and three times fast and silent to identify each other. The same principle is used for phone calls and E-Mail messages, albeit many prefer to customize their ringtones and messages to be able to identify individuals.

The "official" justification for this secrecy is the reasoning that humans will try to destroy them if they learn who and what they are. If forced to use his strength and speed with humans around; the warrior is expected to deal with the threat at hand and then destroy the witness soon after. This seems a barbaric thing to do, and often is regarded as that, so a warrior is expected to make sure the situation does not present itself to begin with. Targets have to be picked carefully, time and place of the engagement to be chosen. Failure to do this is regarded as irresponsible, and will be dealt with in the harshest manner possible.

As can be expected, this is especially difficult with families, presuming they are not already part of the bloodline. Human kin are regarded as very important to them albeit of inferior stock of course. Officially humans are not supposed to be regarded as chattel to the warriors. They are not things. They are not currency to be traded, or toys to be used. They are living, breathing, thinking beings, and supposed to be honored and respected according to their status. Further, there is no honor to be had in bullying a human that is pitifully weak compared to a werewolf. They are warriors, and expected to act accordingly.

The human kin are in many ways direct connections to human government and society, since they have the possibility to rise in human power structures to a much higher degree than the warriors are capable of. It often takes years for a werewolf to learn to sufficiently control his rage to function in human society to a degree that he could work in high-society jobs (e.g. managers, mayors, lawyers, generals etc.), therefore such jobs are usually done by female werewolves (since most do not awaken their heritage) or human kin. Both don't have the anger-issues of an awakened warrior or their treasonous eyes.

The downside of this is the result of the werewolves getting involved in wars not of their making, politics not of their choosing, and societies not to their liking and many deeply despise this fact.  
>Nonetheless, the kin who are related to them by blood are regarded as incalculable, without a doubt due to the higher chance of producing other werewolves. They are officially regarded as the reason for the warriors to fight, when all hope seems lost.<p>

The warriors see themselves as fiercely protective, and will never allow their Kin to suffer if they can help it. Well, that is the sugar-coated version, because, based on their martial and very power-based culture, the hammremir tend to be more possessive, than protective. In addition, while it is demanded from them to love their families, it is also demanded that, if they love and honor their kin, they must be prepared to sacrifice them in the pursuit of greater good if it means to fight or die.


	5. Women in Hammremir Society

The place of women in the society of the human warriors is remarkably different from those of the men.

Albeit it might seem that way, the society of the hammremir does not necessarily raise its male members to be against women. However, it is usually very strict on what is considered appropriate for a woman or man and what not. Woman among them can have jobs; they can live in or outside the household. They have the right to choose whether they want to have kids or not and are free to chose what they want just as much as men do/are able. Well in theory at least. It happens very fast that a male hammramr sees his status as that of superior to his female counterparts, simply due to the fact of his physical strength, since the usual male hammramr has awakened blood, while the usual female has sleeping blood.

It all comes down to the hammremir's status as warriors and the importance of martial prowess. It is quite rare that a woman is a warrior, no matter how you define the term. Sure, many woman do carry the potential to awaken their blood by one meaning or another, but rare are the ones that ever do. Most werewolves (not just male ones I might add) try to keep women and girls away from fights, mostly because it is not the place of a woman to go to battle in their mind set.

The original reason to keep them "out of the fights" however was – and partly is still today - that a woman who has awakened her blood is no longer capable of having children. Even if you don't know genetics, it's easy to come to the idea that two having the blood of the warrior are more likely to produce a warrior then when only one has it. And while warriors can of course produce new warriors by breeding with humans, the chances are lower and it is well known that such offspring is just as likely not to have the blood as it is to have it. Now, the extreme violent nature of the transformation during full moon causes miscarriages. So women who awakened their blood are practically sterile for all intents and purposes and therefore cannot contribute to future generations the way men could.

In the eyes of the warriors', culture this rightly gives them a lower social status than the male warriors. While women may be dedicated and potent fighters, they cannot give birth. Many warriors argue that one must be a part of life to grasp the enormity of it, and this something is forever denied to these women. They are not persecuted for their status. It's who they are. Female hammremir have no control over this. As such, their condition is accepted as an unfortunate reality.

However, it is deeply despised if they killed somebody willingly. As a result, such an act of murder by a hammremir is normally kept secret from other females in the community. Some even go so far to lie to their wives and daughters, telling them that they can only pass the blood on and not awaken it themselves. This is so ingrained today that many no longer lie, but really believe it and often state legends that fit their views.

A further justification for the lack of women warriors in hammremir society is the argument that many women come from societies who told men that women are weak and inferior (meaning not fighters). This is not unjustified, however, since most human societies, since the emergence of the hammremir, have willingly or unwillingly taught their females that it is undesirable for them to be physically strong and go to battle. And in many of these societies, women have been and are taught that they are weak and inferior, and later believed. Thus, women from these societies were singularly unexceptional as warriors, and were taught that they could not fight. Therefore, most women in hammremir society managed to avoid being put in the position of having to fight as warriors. These two factors of prejudice and fact reinforced one another, and, together with the reproductive incapability of a female warrior, led to the current situation of women in the culture of the hammremir.

Of course, should a woman awaken her blood, either by accident or deliberate action, she is, if not killed in some cases, at least expected to take up the mantle of a true warrior, and fight for the survival of the hammremir in every way she can. In this way, her existence might still help the hammremir in one way or another, and she won't be useless.  
>If she already is a mother, that is a case decided based on the situation at hand.<p> 


	6. The Runes

While the human warriors have pretty much forgotten their Norse ancestry, they still bear the markings of being created by it. There exist a particular set of runes – each of them having certain –meanings, which can be used for special occasions. These runes are based on, and, to a large degree, are identical to those of the Old Norse, and are therefore pretty commonplace. This serves the warriors well ,in that it allows them to use these runes more openly. Although these runes stem from the Old Norse, the hammremir consider themselves to be the original inventors of these symbols, which, somehow, found their way into the world of humans.

Like the runes of the Old Norse, the ones of the werewolf community basically consist of straight lines, albeit some might look different, due to being the result of contact with other cultures or creative sparks among the warriors.


	7. The Oath of the Warrior

Every culture has its laws and customs, by which its society functions. And, of course, the hammremir are no different. However, since werewolf society is more limited in number and its members tend to be more fractious then their human counterparts, werewolves tend not to have full libraries of written laws. Rather, they tend to abide by a certain set of rules and customs, that have been passed down for generations, and has served them well over the centuries. Of course, like any oral history, there can be differences in interpretation of these non-traditional texts among the hammremir. While customs are harder to press into a certain framework, the same does not hold true for laws. Upon joining their respective societies, the hammremir must swear on these laws, which are collectively referred to as the Oath of the Warrior.

These laws are as follows:

Your territory is your home  
>Now, this is one of the laws that have the widest set of interpretations. What "home" means tends to depend on the territory from which the hammremir hails. Generally speaking, this concept can be viewed as the werewolves' obligation to acting for the good of their territory. However, this is where the similarities end. Some warriors interpret this law, by giving food and money to the poor and working as social workers, if possible. Others go about it in a more direct way, keeping all sorts of criminals out, and often acting as both judge and hangmen, at the same time. Others again rule with an iron fist, as invisible masters over the other hammremir, and especially over humans in their territories, manipulating them in every way they see fit.<p>

As such, some hammremir are seen as slightly bad-tempered guardian angels, while others are simply viewed as bloodthirsty tyrants.

The Humans Must Not Know  
>This is the most sacred law of the warriors, and, as such its violation is the one most severely punished. There are only three exceptions for this rule: mates, blood relations and witches. These three sorts of humans either have to know of the existence of hammremir, or know it by default. Apart from that, no mercy is given for either the offender or the one who received the forbidden knowledge, if he or she is discovered.<p>

This law also punishes those werewolves that seek remote places to transform, so as not to have to chain themselves up. Considering their speed in wolf form, they would be able to cover miles in the matter of minutes. They would need a lot of other species around them to keep them from searching out humans, and vampires. So even a desert would be a bad place. And each full moon the number of dead animals would be pretty high in any area. Therefore, such werewolves would be easy to track down ,by humans and other things out there, simply by following the high numbers of scavengers such carnage would attract.

Warriors Do Not Murder Fellow Warriors  
>This law is pretty self explanatory. However, there is no full consensus regarding the word "warrior". While it is clear that every hammremir with awakened blood is, by default a warrior, what about those with sleeping blood? And can humans and especially blood relatives ever be considered warriors, and, therefore, be brought under the protection of the law?<p>

Respect Your Enemy  
>A warrior doesn't kill needlessly. Nor does he willingly diminish his enemy. Every Enemy, no matter how vile, has to be treated with respect.<p>

This law also demands that no warrior should offer a surrender he himself would not accept. The law demands that you should not belittle an enemy with an unjust surrender.

However, no matter how honored such behavior is, it is not as common as many warriors want it to be. In their minds, they are often proud and fierce. They believe that their nature makes them the best warriors in the world. As a result they regard it as difficult for them to accept the capitulation of an enemy in battle. They justify such behavior with the reasoning that their every instinct tells them to tear him limb from limb, and that this is a good and just perspective to have in combat.

Each Spirit In Kind  
>This law is the most ambiguous and most disputed between the territories. It is basically interpreted in the way that it demands that you do on others as they do on you. However, this is not so simple. What about when a being is considered an enemy by default? Does "in kind" mean that it should be attacked immediately or rather that the warrior in question waits 'til harm has befallen him? Does the law mean that you have to repay every favor, no matter for what purpose?<p>

This law is also generally regarded as the second source for the warrior's attitude that no warrior should, in any way, belittle another warrior.

Do Not Eat The Flesh Of Man Or Wolf  
>In most cases, it is needless to state this law, since most human societies of today abhor cannibalism, and wolves aren't even remotely considered food. However, the mere fact that this law exists is clear indication that some among the warriors have practiced the consumption of human andor wolf flesh.

**Violation and Punishment**  
>Violation of the Oath of the Warrior can be a difficult thing to measure. In many cases, the task of formally punishing an oath-breaker falls to his band or the band that suffered as a result. If a solitary werewolf murders another of his kind, he might face a judgment from his victim's bandmates that is sure to be as brutal as possible without violating the Oath in turn. If a member of one band offends a werewolf of another band, however, things become more complicated. The offended band has the right to call for a punishment. However, the offender's band may not wish to abandon their errant brother to what might be overly cruel penance. Bloody brawls between bands have broken out over less. Optimally, though, the most experienced members of both bands will settle on a judgment.<p>

A minor instance of oath-breaking is an incidental infraction, one that the werewolf committed unintentionally and which has no negative impact on the local community. This might include an ill-timed challenge of someone's authority and warrant anything from a few harsh words to a minor injury — a broken finger, for instance.

A serious violation of the Oath is one that is done in full knowledge that it's a violation, but which has a small impact on the local community or other werewolves. Depending on the region, this might include the murder of an innocent human to become a werewolf or the intentional mixing of wolfsbane into a drink. Appropriate punishments include temporary ostracism, a temporary exile into hostile territory, or more serious ritual wounding.

A major crime deliberately flouts the laws of the hammremir and has major effects on the local community and werewolf population. This includes deliberate consumption of human or wolf flesh, being the passive partner in a sexual relation if you are a man, consciously exposing a human to the knowledge of the werewolves' existence or leading a female pre-awakened werewolf to become one. Major crimes, especially in areas of the Oath that are particularly important to the judge, may end in death, permanent ostracism or permanent exile into enemy territory.

Being outlawed  
>Being outlawed is a punishment usually reserved for major crimes, since it separates the convicted from all social interaction with other werewolves. Essentially, it removes the convict from status as a werewolf. As a non-werewolf the outlaw can be killed on sight by anyone and in any way, without any compensatory payment made to anybody or any sort of punishment involved to the executioner.<p> 


	8. Sex and Mates

What must be understood first is that many of the werewolves' rules regarding sex only affect other werewolves, not humans, possibly not even pre-awakened werewolf kin (this depends on the respective territory). The bulk of rules regarding sex among the werewolves only affect their males, albeit the rules regarding females are based on those affecting males.

To say that among the werewolves sex is simply about producing offspring would be wrong. They are part human, and, as such, it serves more than this function of course, albeit on average a male werewolf is expected to sire offspring to preserve the species.  
>In addition, the rules for males are a tad more restrictive than for female warriors. Things like bestiality and pedophilia are still strictly forbidden, though, no matter the gender.<p>

For males, the basic attitude is that it doesn't matter much whether a werewolf fucks with an adult male or female, as long as he is the one who fucks and the one in control. So not only passive homosexual behavior is forbidden for them, the same is true for passive heterosexual behavior.  
>There is no overall consensus regarding the topic of sex and mating among male werewolves. For many, the fact of exclusively or mostly performing acts that can per definition not result in offspring is damned, for the affected werewolves turn away from the possibility of producing offspring and therefore raising a new generation.<p>

However, this is rarely based on any ingrained disgust for such acts, but rather on a "We are at war" mentality. For such werewolves, sex is not something you can afford to treat as a recreational activity. Human upbringing is supposed to be forgotten and among the werewolves, you first have sex to breed offspring, not for pleasure, that comes second. Satisfaction is to be found elsewhere, preferably in battle against enemies.

For others, among them this kind of talk is what drives many among them to become masochistic bastards whose only joy is combat. These werewolves say that they should savor your bond with their kin and mates. They argue that sex and mating is more than just breeding that it creates bonds, alliances and partnerships. They say that you should love your mate (or whoever is your partner); enjoy the intimacy you have together. A loveless pairing, they argue, won't help any potential children be as strong as they all need to be. Usually such werewolves think that it is preferable to raise offspring although they don't require it to be "one's own".

Performing the passive role during a sexual act is considered extremely derogatory for a male werewolf and a sign of powerlessness and being effeminate. Males who do such things are called goats or mares (an older word is merr), while the active ones are called stallions. As the stallion is the symbol of male sexual power, the mare is the symbol of passive sexuality; passive sexuality is then equated with lack of manliness, and this explains the use of the word mare as an insult.

The term goat is used because in the society of the Old Norse it referred both to promiscuous women and to effeminate or cowardly men. A possibility for this view is that he-goats were once considered to be symbols of virility and as actively seeking sex while nanny goats were considered to be passively accepting sex and nothing more. Other words used for such men are sorinn, stroinn or argr, all three refer to a male that has engaged in passive sex, although it is unknown as to why there are three words for the same thing.

This leads to the phenomenon that the common human warrior would never even consider to perform the bottom role during a homosexual act. The basic difference in the roles during sex is based on power and, therefore, active and passive and not male and female. However the vast majority don't realize this, because, on principle, active and power are associated with males, while passiveness and powerlessness is associated with females.

This is not to say that playing the passive role doesn't happen among werewolves, considering their fractured society it can't be any different. However, fear of repercussions, attempts to glorify earlier ages and establish respectable genealogies and family traditions all contributed to a silence on such matters. Only in connection with episodes of defamation (real or fictional) and in the literature that shows influence by non-werewolf sources and in the exaggerations of sexual promiscuity are unabashed references to passive sexual practices to be found.

Against rape only female werewolves with awakened blood are protected, those with sleeping blood are usually considered to be on the same level as pure humans. Humans (male and female) have a status close to being property and are therefore a responsibility of the respective werewolf they belong to (being a mate makes you no exception to this rule), and a werewolf could even kill his human and remain unpunished, provided that the killing is published the same day. A male werewolf fucking a human (no matter the gender) would never face punishment as long as the human doesn't belong to somebody else, but a male werewolf fucking another male werewolf would be extremely derogatory for the passive one.

A human mate is somewhere in between these two stages. Therefore, it depends on the individual werewolf., Usually, it is seen as derogatory for a male to "play the woman" during sex. However, there will never be punishment for the human, in such case, because they are considered less powerful, anyway. Only when a human who "belongs to" another werewolf, by way of family relationship or mating is violated (just as in the cases of violation of a werewolf's wife or female kindred), does it become a punishable act.

The accusation of passive sexuality is in fact so dishonorable in werewolf culture, that it falls under the category of the nid-insult. Therefore, the defamed werewolf is even entitled to kill the slanderer to avenge such an offense.

**Sexuality in female hammremir**

For the female werewolves there are, all in all, two mayor viewpoints:  
>1) They can fuck whomever they want.<br>2) They are not allowed to have any sort of sexual activities.

Both viewpoints are based on a female werewolf's inability to successfully reproduce and argue (mostly from a male's perspective of course) that the regular rules don't apply for them anyway. It is also linked to their somewhat loose concept of femininity that equals being feminine with a lack of power and places a woman's rightful place outside of the treasured warrior status.

The first viewpoint basically states that, since female werewolves cannot reproduce anymore, they can just as well follow whatever sexual desires they have, as long as it doesn't clash with the rules regarding men. At least such a philosophy would keep the females of the group from experiencing sexual frustration. After all, many warriors are of the opinion that sexual abstinence is dangerous, because it tends to keep the warriors head full of sex, and, therefore, keeps his (or her) concentration away from the important parts of life, like battle. If a female werewolf can't even fight anymore, what would she be good for then?

Ironically, this suitability for "battle" is the same reason the other side forbids female werewolves any sort of sexual activity. They argue that since while they will no longer be able to know the joys of motherhood, they also no longer have to carry any burdens associated with it. And since they will no longer have to deal with the possible consequences of intercourse, why should they be allowed to enjoy its benefits? These werewolves argue further that, after a while, the female will lose interest in any sexual activity anyway and therefore be able to fully focus on the tasks given to her so that she will be able to serve the werewolves at the best of her abilities.

As for females with sleeping blood, there are different rules. They are not really complicated, albeit probably sexist nonetheless. There is only one thing required from a pre-awakened female, preserving the bloodline, although this is a bit hypocritical since the descendents are always considered to be part of the male's line not the female's, unless the father is a proven pure human. Now, there is no strict set of rules as to how females are supposed to pursue that goal and each territory goes about this differently.

In some cases, these females are not allowed to be anything else but mothers. They may not be reduced to being simple brood-mares, but in such territories they usually end up having several children. In others, they might be providers for the children of others, preferable those of relatives, albeit orphans or children of neglectful parents are also a common option. They don't necessarily have to do this in a direct manner, and simply being an influential politician (a position more easily open to them than for warriors) and raising the local standards of living. So apart from this one condition of preserving the bloodline, a female with sleeping blood can have whatever sexual activity she wants, as long as it neither conflicts with her duty nor the rules of respectable behavior for warriors.

**Mating**  
>No matter what a werewolf's attitude towards sex is, the attitude towards true mates is practically universal. However, mates themselves are not, some werewolves find one, others never do. Anyway there is some philosophical debate about it, since the stuff can rarely be documented from start to end so all those that study it have are personal reports of willing participants.<p>

Your mate is considered the ideal partner, the one destiny or the gods have chosen for you and the one you will need; your other half respectively. And you have no choice in it.

One thing is for sure: you can mess the relationship with your mate up. Yes, two mates are meant for each other. But they, nonetheless, have to work for it, just like for everything else in life. And whatever they do, they have to mean it, no matter what. They are expected to simply accept the situation in which they have been placed. Those raised in werewolf society are often very fast with that. They have typically heard and sometimes saw the strength of the mating bond, and therefore know that they can have their mates (at least sexually), whether the mate likes them or not. Such thoughts are, at the very least, intoxicating.

Both mates will feel this pull, no matter their preferences. Both will sense something about the other that will draw them to each other and once within range of being effected by each other's pheromones this leads to the mentioned sexual urges. For humans it's not going to be the same as for awakened werewolves, due to their lesser sensory capabilities but it will be very similar. And the whole ordeal is usually harder when at least one of them doesn't know what those feelings mean.

What can make it especially difficult is the fact that this pull, at least in common imagination, doesn't take into account what the participants would prefer, and many have found themselves face to face with mates they wouldn't have expected even in their wildest dreams. Furthermore, the culture of the hammremir and their near obsession with power can lead the werewolf to simply take his mate without even consider to ask for any consent. This can result in public claiming that are close to rape in nature.  
>Sometimes several warriors actually claim their mates at the same time, resulting in group claiming. Usually this is done by especially bullying or controlling werewolves who want to make their mates submit in every way and show this to as many other werewolves as possible.<p>

For some more naïve people, this might be surprising but the bond between mates is not the same as love; which as many people would confirm is also no guarantee against domestic violence. It is rather a strong urge that usually manifests itself in very strong sexual desire, always starting at the first time the two participants actually consciously notice each other. In cases of emotional calmness, pictures can be enough to at least trigger a small reaction in the form of attraction. In most cases, however, direct observation and notice of the scent of each other is necessary to trigger this bond.

This scent is different for each of the mates. However, in every case, it is a scent that lets the heat inside their bodies rise, and fills their minds with desires of sexual and emotional content. For both, the scent is simply the most wonderful thing they have ever encountered. As can be expected, werewolves are especially affected. Due to their heightened sense of smell, they usually detect their mates from great distances, or even do it unconsciously or in their wolf-forms.

The desire or pull towards another person can be so strong that some mates cannot help but submit to their urges at the next best chance. Many manage to get out of the respective situation, especially when they are not raised in the werewolf culture, and don't know what is going on with them.

The mating bond is also, on average coupled, with an irrational jealousy, This jealousy can arise every time a mate sees his other half talking to someone who exhibits even a slight hint of attraction to them. However, if this jealousy is the biggest problem the two mates have, then they are lucky.

As long as the two mates have not performed the mating, they are subject to what is called mate withdrawal syndrome. When they are separated, after they recognized each other, it is as though a hole was ripped into their souls, and that hole will get bigger with time. If the separation is made my force – either due to an outside one or own doing - the longer they are away from each other the stronger and more severe the symptoms get. Each side will have some different and some same symptoms, albeit with individual differences due to character. Both will definitely feel some sort of emptiness over time, a loss of sorts; that is the most common description for this feeling.

In addition, while the mating hasn't been performed, and possibly no connection exists, beyond the physical attraction, they will both want to be with each other. However, this is not always consciously recognized and the power of repression should not be underestimated. At its very least, this desire manifests itself in erotic dreams. Sometimes the dreams both experience are extremely similar, albeit the mating bond doesn't provide any telepathic or even empathic bond. Over time, when the syndrome progresses both will eventually go crazy, albeit for different reasons since werewolves show different symptoms than normal humans or pre-awakened kin.

A warrior will usually have physical symptoms; the most common are hyperactivity and new and possibly strange eating habits, for a human that is. Boosts in physical activity are especially common in people who already had a physically challenging live; firemen, bounty hunters, athletes, boxers, acrobats and the like. In addition some might show extreme possessive behavior and even go so far as to kidnap their mates and forcing themselves upon them.

For a human mate, it's pretty much the opposite. The person will go into depression which includes lack of interest in doing daily activities such as socializing, lack of appetite, unnecessary emotional and mental thoughts and feelings and sometimes even consider self-harm or suicide. All in all the symptoms will be similar to major depressive disorder.

In both cases, it will not start with a severe case; the symptoms will be very mild in both cases at first and could easily be mistaken for something harmless at the time. Not even an expert would be able to tell for sure in those early stages. How long it takes to become severe is different with each pairing and depends on their attitudes and behaviors. The first signs usually occur over the course of a few weeks or less, with or without denial from either side. If both participants are in full denial it only takes weeks to progress, however if they actually know it but at least one of them is not acknowledging or not acting upon the urges than it could easily be months before any severe symptoms are showing. It all depends on how willing the mates are and on how much they admit the situation to themselves. Supposedly it can take a year for the mating to be performed in a case when mates go back and forth with the whole affair, one of them always bailing out of it at the last second. The important part is that at least a physical nearness can slow or even temporarily reverse the symptoms. However the mating is the only definitive cure.

When the mating has been completed separation is no longer a big deal, not something that should be done permanently but also nothing life-threatening. Despite common misconception, when one of the two mates dies, the other doesn't simply drop dead. But nonetheless, in nearly every case when one dies the other is usually not far behind. The survivor usually dies due to various reasons by showing the signs of the prior mentioned withdrawal syndrome, e.g. suicide, dementia, starvation or becomes so unresponsive to the world that he/she gets run over by a car.

The mating ritual:  
>The mating is a onetime event in the life of the mates. Especially controlling werewolves call it the claiming arguing that they only take what is theirs anyway.<p>

No matter what you call it, the mating is performed as a standardized ritual, while there is room to customize it according to one's wishes every werewolf is told that it needs to include the following elements, performed in the chronological order in which they are named:

1) It needs to be performed at night.  
>2) An open space has to be found where the mating can be performed.<br>3) Both participants have to be completely naked.  
>4) The mate who will be the active one during the mating, meaning the penetrator, has to sniff every body part of the passive mate.<br>5) The passive mate has to stand on all fours.  
>6) The active mate has to fuck the passive one into submission with full force.<p>

The Golden Rule, the absolute highest Law for the mating is to "follow one's wolf", to be completely unhindered and letting go of rational thought completely, only instinct and emotions are allowed during the mating.

Note: A heterosexual mating is supposed to be performed when the moon is at its pinnacle no matter the phase (except for full moon due to obvious reasons), while a homosexual one between two werewolves is supposed to be performed specifically during new moon. Well a male homosexual one, there is no such rule for a female one, who would have to be performed differently anyway.  
>It is said that if the mating is not performed in this way, than the mating is cursed - especially under the eye of the sun - and the participants' fates are bound to end in tragedy.<p>

This belief in a ritual and a curse is just plain superstition (but in a world full of witches it's easy to be fooled into believing such a curse is true). All that is needed for making simple sex a mating is the full accepting of both participants as each other's mate.

The superstition is originally based on the need for privacy and the desire of some few (but influential) werewolves to dominate their mates in every way. That it is nonetheless performed out in the open is due to the desire to show that the mating had occurred and both participants are now off limits to everyone else.

That a male homosexual one has to be performed at new moon has its origin in the society of the Old Norse were a homosexual act between two free men was considered derogatory (therefore the ritual should be done when the "moon is not looking"), albeit only the passive one would be punished, not the active one. While a human mate is not considered the same as a werewolf one (the werewolf would count as the "free men"), it seems that no one wanted to see it anyway.


	9. The drengskapr

The hammremir's concept of masculinity basically idealizes the male and is embodied in a code of behavior (complex of ideal and behaviors) called drengskapr. The word itself in its translation encompasses the modern day English words of courage, high-mindedness and manliness.  
>Words in poetry and lore associated with the drengskapr complex are hireysti (prowess, valor), karlmennska (manhood, valor), brekbradorr (strong, courageous), vel taladir (well-spoken), frightligr (valiant, bold-looking), vaskor (valiant, manly), and freindhollr (faithful to one's kinsmen, pious). To be a werewolf of worth (a virding) requires exemplifying this code of conduct by displaying the qualities listed above.<p>

While there is the belief that there is a connection between one's physical appearance and the "rightness" of one's character, masculinity is not inherent in an adult male by virtue of biological sex; instead, masculinity is a culturally defined performance through which certain actions are culturally gendered as being appropriate and honorable for men and, therefore, manly. A male's reputation and all the social and economic benefits associated with high esteem, depend heavily on his alignment with the masculine ideal.

The primary defining characteristics of the warriors' masculinity are dominance over one's self and others and honorable actions in the social world. Consequently, an exemplar of drengskapr performs his manliness through public actions that show him specifically to be dominant, courageous, eloquent, and honorable in his dealings with others. For the warriors, to be masculine means to conduct oneself with manly honor in all interpersonal public dealings and requires honorable and proper social interaction both within and without the kin group. Werewolf-males are expected to be courageous, valorous, and skilled warriors; to be dominant and in control of themselves in public situations; to act with honor toward their kin and others with whom they have social relations; to speak eloquently; to be sexually regular, provide hospitality and not to view sexual conquests as better or equal to martial conquests.

Making war/conquest is an important aspect of manhood for the werewolves due to their aggressive masculine ethic. In addition making mannjafndor (verbal dueling competition containing boasts and insults) provides an equally important path for gaining honor and performing masculinity. For these duels verbal eloquence is an important skill for an honorable, worthy male to master in the warrior's world, as a vehicle for delivering proof of one's valorous exploits.

Of the two categories of "conquest", only a preference for martial conquests is boast-worthy, and a preference for sexual conquests is insult-worthy. Among the warriors a preference for sexual conquests suggests either a lack of battle experience or a lack of preference for martial conquests. To the warrior mind, preferring sexual exploits to martial exploits relates to both weakness and effeminacy, because sexual acts occur indoors, the domain of women, and because of the connection between sexual irresponsibility and moral irresponsibility. The logic is that if one prefers sexual conquests to martial conquests, then one prefers to remain indoors/at home instead of venturing valiantly into battle and earn honor, glory, and wealth. If one remains indoors, in the "woman's world," then the perception is that one is too weak to perform manly actions in public, the "man's world."

The performance of one's social obligations is both honorable and manly in the Warrior's world; failing to perform them would be unmanly. In their society, the ultimate expression of unmanliness for a man was to be womanly. To give an example: because female mammals produce milk to feed their offspring, milking and other actions related to dairy-production are culturally gendered feminine in the warrior's world. Masculinity always involved external-to-the-home affairs: e.g. sheep gathering, fishing, trade, war, transport, and legal/judicial events. Based on this a werewolf's inability to restrain his violent urges is less unmanly than any possible effeminacy, suggesting for them an unwillingness or an inability to act like men. However, it should be remembered that, while femininity appears as a pejorative - especially in verbal duels - womanly behavior is only viewed in a negative context, when applied to a man's actions.


	10. The nidInsult

The nid insult is the worst kind of insult anyone could give a human warrior since it comprises accusations of gross sexual deviancy that may either relate to literal events of passive sexuality or to symbolic connotations of weakness or powerlessness. The nid accusation holds such power in the minds of warrior males that the only recourse to disprove it lies in physical violence and even entitles the defamed to kill the offender.

In verbal duels, the nid insult occurs exclusively in male-only duels, never in female or mixed ones.


	11. Duels

Despite, or maybe because, of their violent tendencies, the human warriors delight in word play and word games. Word play and verbal skill garner honor for the individual who engages them successfully in competition in the same manner that physical prowess and martial victory do for the warrior.

Nonetheless the existence of verbal duels is to a large degree based on the rule to remain hidden. Demonstration of their physical strength would not only be very likely to expose themselves (a threat more and more common since start of industrial revolution) but it would also significantly reduce the number of capable warriors. No matter how powerful their regenerative abilities are, there are limits. The immense speed and strength of the warriors combined with their extreme violent tendencies makes sever injuries during physical battles between them so likely that some among the werewolves argue that they would have died out long ago had they not introduced the concept of setting disputes via verbal dueling.

Avoiding physical fights as far as possible among them is one reason for these contests but verbal duels of any form serve a multitude of purposes, ranging from academic inquiry, entertainment, establishing legal or political superiority, and the production/presentation of selfhood in a social context.  
>The plethora of these genres of dueling includes:<br>• Riddle contests where the competitors risk their lives in proving who has the greater knowledge base.  
>• Boast contests where opponents recount their deeds (either good deeds or even drinking misadventures) in a bid to one-up those around them.<br>• Rapping practices of "dissin'" another rapper's skills in such a way as to display and promote one's as superior.  
>• Insult contests where competitors either ritualistically or realistically hurl negative comments at their opponents.<br>• Debates (political, legal, or forensic competitions) when contestants argue logically and rationally that their opinion is superior to that of opponents.

Verbal duels of all genres serve various functions ranging from entertainment to information dissemination to social control. The crucial glue shared among all varieties of verbal dueling is that verbal acumen holds a place in increasing honor, social capital, or possibly economic capital for the one with greater skill.

Regardless of the specific location for verbal dueling and the need for secrecy, all verbal duels are public events and most verbal duels occur between people of unequal social standing. However, each verbal duel has its own immediate and particular stakes, which range from simple entertainment to gaining support in a legal endeavor to life and death.

Even in their most ancient sagas verbal duelists seek to prove manliness, to exercise a power that separates the self from all that is unfit and unacceptable, they function as an extension of what can be described as a "regime of truth": a circular relation between systems of power and the truth and meaning they produce and by which they are sustained.

Verbal duels function to establish dominance through the articulation of a "true discourse" that either positively associates the self (thereby disassociating the other) or negatively associates the other (thereby positively aligning the self) with the social ideal of masculinity, or manliness.  
>As dueling involves struggle, a verbal duel represents a (possibly violent) dialogue between discourses of power and of resistance. Combatants have the option either to submit and accept the accusation that they are socially unfit or to resist it by proving manliness through their own verbal assaults, and should one party deem it necessary, through physical confrontation. This is unsurprising as verbal duels themselves are highly stylized combative speech events which include many formulaic expressions.<p>

Most duels incorporate a turn-taking structure through which the duelists shift rhetorical strategies to either align themselves with the commonly accepted ideals or to separate their opponent(s) from those ideals. Additionally, all verbal duelists must have some knowledge of the duel's format ("the rules of the game") and of the social ideals/beliefs related to the actions being debated. There are many differences among the genres regarding the seriousness, the stakes, the rhetorical style, the setting, or the combatants.

The veracity of the claimed event is never argued (each warrior is honor bound to tell the truth). The issue argued is always the interpretation of the action in terms of its worthiness and manliness. These evaluations form the core of the dispute. In other words, the facts of events are not disputed, but the interpretations and implications of them are. And while all verbal duelists using insults attempt to separate their opponents from the werewolf ideal of manliness, not all insults imply effeminacy.

Also a common form of utterance in verbal duels is the threat/challenge. To give an example:  
>After one duelist finishes his first turn, the other changes tactics, leaping to his feet and boasting of his skill with his dagger. He escalates the importance of his boast by concluding with the following threat:<p>

_And when I get to you I shall run you through with it and pay you back for your obscene words._

While the content of such a threat would suggest that violent endings conclude the episode, most verbal duels end peacefully, being a complete combat event in itself.

A unique feature of indoor verbal dueling is the presence of drinking. In a duel and drinking contest, the patterned structure of ritual drinking behavior parallels that of the verbal duel. Each round involves one contender handing a beer-filled container (horn, jar, pot, etc.) to his opponent, directing either a boast or an insult to him, and the drinking of the container by the opponent. There are two formal forms of verbal duel:  
>1) The mannjafndor (meaning "man-comparison")<br>2) The senna ("truth-quarrel")  
>The mannjafndor is a boasting contest, and the senna is an insult duel.<p>

While often humorous when seen by outsiders and newbies, both forms of verbal duel are taken with lethal seriousness by persons performing the duel.

These are duels where combatants compare themselves against each other in linguistic skill and against an unstated but generally accepted social fiction, differing in social context.

The mannjafnador provides a forum through which heroes can prove their manly worth, the senna serves as a means to gain social standing through public victory in a verbal duel and as a place to air social grievances, where the socially marginal can claim superiority over the elite.

In a mannjafndor, the duelists compare themselves against one another in an effort to gain social honor by aligning the self with the ideal. In a senna, the duelists compare themselves against one another in an effort to gain social honor by separating the opponent from the social ideal. The outcome is the same in both cases: the victor gains honor at the expense of his opponent(s).

Mannjafndor  
>The mannjafndor is a verbal dueling competition containing boasts and insults, through which warrior males compare their achievements and exploits against those of other males in bids to prove themselves more honorable in the eyes of the werewolf community.<p>

The performance of mannjafndor conforms to the basic formation of competition, in that two or more entities, be they individuals or teams, actively oppose each other for some prize. The stakes and the prize vary from duel to duel, but the combatants always seek to gain honor and esteem amongst those judging the duel. However, the mannjafndor is always between only two opponents.  
>In the mannjafndor, opponents may know each other; however, one duelist is often a traveler who utilizes this verbal dueling form to prove manliness. In this duel, combatants attempt to prove themselves through a positive comparison of the self to the social ideal. The combatants are always male, and they are of roughly equal social status.<p>

Warrior verbal duelists strategically employ a characteristic range of rhetorical weapons in the performance of mannjafndor as they compete verbally to prove themselves as manly and honorable men.

Examples:

_I ripped the that masochistic vampire's throat out,_  
><em> And I hurled the eyes of the warlock<em>  
><em> To the hot heavens above;<em>  
><em> These are the mightiest marks of my deeds,<em>  
><em> That all men since can see.<em>  
><em> What, Karl, did you do during this time?<em>

_Siegfried proclaimed, "I believe, James, that I am stronger and a better swimmer._  
><em> James said, "That is true, but I am more skilled and better at board games, and that is worth as much as your strength."<em>

_Don't you remember that I was always able to throw you on your back as often as I wished, although you are a year older?_

Sources within and outside of the human warriors show that they often use this form of verbal dueling for entertainment purposes during a session of heavy drinking. However, this combination of intoxication, boasts, and verbal challenges may– but not always – lead to physical violence as the verbally bested party attempts to prove his worthiness at the physical level. Two other possible outcomes exist: a third party may intervene to stop the violence or the defeated may accept submission gracefully.

In the mannjafndor there are five categories of utterances – boast, insult, threat, curse, and challenge – and five categories of boast and insult – physicality, sexual irregularity, social duties, appearance, and violation of alimentary taboos – through which males verbally contend against one another in their bids to prove which of them is the manlier. Categorizing and ranking/weighting the boasts and insults is not always as straightforward as may be expected, because some of the actions boasted about or insults hurled are delivered indirectly, relating to events depicted in other duels or tales; therefore, interpretation of warrior verbal duels requires a measure of knowledge and familiarity with their world.

Senna  
>In the senna form, the contestants may be either male or female, more than two competitors, and are often of very different social statuses. During senna, the quarrelers attempt to prove manliness through a negative comparison of the other to the social ideal. The specificity of the insults hurled requires that all combatants know (or at the very least know of) each other. The form often resembles the following example of an insult:<p>

_Of that which you have done on the East-road_  
><em> You should say no more to men;<em>  
><em> You, mighty one, did hide in the thumb of a glove,<em>  
><em> And there forgot you were a warrior<em>

A general feature of the senna is that a person of low(er) status humiliates one or more persons of high(er) status. While the insults hurled during a senna are very specific in nature, they fall into certain categories: cowardice, failure to display familial honor/loyalty, failure to properly perform one's social responsibilities, alimentary taboo violations, and sexual irregularity.

A senna may, and often does, include a nid insult, which either may relate to an actual charge of passive homosexuality or a symbolic insult of powerlessness. The performance involves threats and then ends in violence, as the losing party attempts to prove worthiness through the only method of recourse left: martial prowess.

Categories of actions  
>Through a complex discourse structure, werewolves evaluate their honor through five categories of actions: physicality, social duties, sexual irregularity, appearance, and the violation of alimentary taboos. The werewolves do not value these categories equally. The frequency of each category's usage in the verbal confrontation reveals their hierarchy.<p>

These categories are physicality (physical strength, martial skill, and cowardice), sexual irregularity (effeminacy and sexual impropriety), social duties (family dealings and duties of a band leader), appearance, and taboo violation. Not all categories find expression in both boast and insult at the same time: no boasts about a male's virility, being a good family member, or obeying alimentary taboos appear.

The most prominent category of boast and insult is physicality. Physicality includes many of the characteristics commonly and popularly associated with werewolf masculinity: strength, agility, bravery, and skill in battle. The majority of the utterances in duels relate to victory in battle.

The second category that appears frequently relates to the proper performance/non-performance of one's social duties. This category includes all boasts/insults related to one's function in society: public speaking, handling of disputes brought to one's attention, avenging kinsmen, and familial relations. Kinship and kin-interaction prove central to this category, albeit for the werewolf, to be a man means to conduct oneself with manly honor in all interpersonal public dealings.

Sexual irregularity is the third most prominent category of boast and insult. This category is defined as being comprised of insults about effeminacy, performing female functions (often related to milk production), castration, bestiality, sexual irresponsibility, incest, and passive male homosexuality.  
>Insulting a male's sexuality is powerful and dangerous, as these insults may veer beyond the acceptable limits and enter the realm of nid.<p>

Sexual irregularity is a complex category that intersects both physicality and social duties. This is unsurprising as sex is both a physical and a social act. Sexual insults against males, as the nid complex illustrates are difficult to define in realistic terms. They may relate to actual events, or they may metaphorically accuse one male of being powerless and weak. Metaphorically, these insults may accuse a male of being submissive to another, accuse him of being weak and powerless, or accuse him of not being in control of himself, others, or a situation. While the meaning of the insult may not be sexual, the language used in the insult is clearly sexual. This category includes all insults that directly incorporate sexual language through which one male either literally accuses another male of sexual impropriety or metaphorically accuses him of weakness, powerlessness, or lack of control.  
>Neither written or oral history, neither hammremir or non-hammremir, ever speaks of boasting being allowed in this category; no verbal duelists are allowed to boast about their virility as being a central aspect of their manliness, choosing instead to use any deviation from the norm to separate their opponent(s) from being considered manly. This silence may suggest some type of avoidance taboo (possibly as simple as "We just do not talk about such things in public") being active at the time these duels developed.<p>

While I place all insults that incorporate sexual language inside the category of sexual irregularity, the use of sexual insult clearly relates to both the categories of physicality and social duties. The separation of categories is primarily heuristic, and the relationship among the categories of physicality, social duties, and sexual irregularity illustrates how interconnected these concepts are in the werewolf mind. Assuming that the language is metaphoric, sexual slander argues that the misdeeds, inactions, or negative qualities of one's opponent are the complete antithesis of drengskapr – womanly instead of manly.

While physicality, sexual deviance, and social duties comprise the majority of boasts and insults delivered in warrior verbal duels, boasts and insults can occur in one other category, physical appearance, and insults can occur in a fifth category, the violation of alimentary taboos.  
>The infrequency of boasts and insults in these categories show that they are of significantly less importance in proving one's manliness.<p>

These categories serve other purposes. Physical appearance boasts and insults relate indirectly to the three prime categories. Based on what a person looks like, conclusions are drawn as to what the person's actions and character are. By pointing out beauty it is implied that such a person is nobler and acts more appropriately for its kind and gender. By pointing into another direction, e.g. stating a male looks like a troll, that person is not only separated from proper manly behavior but also proper human behavior.

Alimentary taboo violation proves to be the rarest category of insult. As such, the inclusion of such an insult serves to add shock value and humor to the situation. This category may relate to sexual irregularities. However, more often, it is an indicator for the category of social duties, e.g. By accusing a werewolf of high status to eat the feces of sheep, he is not only insulted by the breaking of an alimentary taboo but also in his status since herding sheep is a profession done by those low in status and not by someone high on the social ladder.


End file.
